U.S. patent application number 12/574993 was filed with the patent office on 2011-04-07 for system and method for downhole communication.
This patent application is currently assigned to HALLIBURTON ENERGY SERVICES, INC.. Invention is credited to Pete Dagenais, Michael L. Fripp, Donald Kyle.
Application Number | 20110079386 12/574993 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43709183 |
Filed Date | 2011-04-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110079386 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Fripp; Michael L. ; et
al. |
April 7, 2011 |
System and Method for Downhole Communication
Abstract
A method of servicing a wellbore extending from a surface and
penetrating a subterranean formation is provided. The method
comprises placing a workstring in the wellbore, wherein the
workstring comprises at least a first downhole tool, a signal
receiver subassembly, and a conveyance between the first downhole
tool and the surface. The method further comprises the signal
receiver subassembly receiving a first signal generated by contact
between the wellbore and the workstring and initiating a first
function of the first downhole tool based on the first signal.
Inventors: |
Fripp; Michael L.;
(Carrollton, TX) ; Kyle; Donald; (Plano, TX)
; Dagenais; Pete; (The Colony, TX) |
Assignee: |
HALLIBURTON ENERGY SERVICES,
INC.
Carrollton
TX
|
Family ID: |
43709183 |
Appl. No.: |
12/574993 |
Filed: |
October 7, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
166/249 ;
166/250.15; 166/384 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E21B 47/12 20130101;
E21B 47/095 20200501; E21B 41/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
166/249 ;
166/250.15; 166/384 |
International
Class: |
E21B 43/00 20060101
E21B043/00; E21B 47/00 20060101 E21B047/00; E21B 19/00 20060101
E21B019/00 |
Claims
1. A method of servicing a wellbore extending from a surface and
penetrating a subterranean formation, comprising: placing a
workstring in the wellbore, wherein the workstring comprises at
least a first downhole tool, a signal receiver subassembly, and a
conveyance between the first downhole tool and the surface;
receiving by the signal receiver subassembly a first signal
generated by contact between the wellbore and the workstring; and
initiating a first function of the first downhole tool based on the
first signal.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the first
signal by manipulating the workstring in the wellbore proximate to
the surface, wherein transmitting the first signal comprises moving
the workstring to transmit a first discrete value and maintaining
the workstring stationary to transmit a second discrete value and
wherein the first signal encodes a first discrete number as a
sequence of discrete values.
3. The method of claim 2, further comprising: transmitting a second
signal, the second signal generated by contact between the wellbore
and the workstring by manipulating the workstring in the wellbore
proximate to the surface, wherein the second signal encodes a
second discrete number that is distinct from the first discrete
number; receiving by the signal receiver subassembly the second
signal; and initiating a second function of the first downhole tool
based on the second signal.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein the workstring further comprises
a second downhole tool, further comprising: transmitting a third
signal, the third signal generated by contact between the wellbore
and the workstring by manipulating the workstring in the wellbore
proximate to the surface, wherein the third signal encodes a third
discrete number, the third discrete number distinct from the first
discrete number; receiving by the signal receiver subassembly the
third signal; and initiating a third function of the second
downhole tool based on the third signal.
5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: sensing a downhole
parameter; and inhibiting the initiating the first function of the
first downhole tool based on the downhole parameter.
6. The method of claim 1, further comprising filtering the first
signal to substantially reject sub-audio frequency components of
the first signal, wherein initiating the first function of the
first downhole tool is based on the filtered first signal.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the filtering of the first signal
substantially rejects frequency components of the first signal
having a frequency less than about 500 Hertz.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first downhole tool comprises
one of a packer, a bridge plug, a perforation gun, a flow control
device, a sampler, and a setting tool.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the conveyance comprises one of a
string of pipe joints, a wireline, a slickline, and coiled
tubing.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal receiver subassembly
further comprises a vibration sensor to sense the first signal.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the vibration sensor comprises
at least one of an accelerometer, a voice coil, a piezoceramic
transducer, a magnetostrictive sensor, a strain gauge, and a
ferroelectric transducer.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first signal comprises a
mechanical vibration and wherein the workstring further comprises a
mechanical vibration source configured to induce at least a portion
of the mechanical vibration when the workstring moves in the
wellbore.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the mechanical vibration source
is at least one of an extended probe, a revolving member,
workstring centralizer, and a workstring decentralizer.
14. The method of claim 1, wherein the contact that generates the
first signal is created predominantly by axial motion of the
workstring in the wellbore.
15. The method of claim 1, wherein the contact that generates the
first signal is created predominantly by rotational motion of the
workstring in the wellbore.
16. A method of servicing a wellbore extending from a surface and
penetrating a subterranean formation, comprising: placing a
workstring in the wellbore, wherein the workstring comprises at
least one downhole tool, a trigger unit subassembly, and a
conveyance between the downhole tool and the surface; analyzing an
indication of a velocity of the workstring in the wellbore as it
changes over time to decode a discrete signal encoded by the motion
of the workstring in the wellbore, a first discrete value
associated with an amplitude of the indication of the velocity of
the workstring above a first threshold and a second discrete value
associated with an amplitude of the indication of the velocity of
the workstring less than a second threshold, the second threshold
being less than the first threshold; and when the discrete signal
matches a trigger number, triggering a function of the downhole
tool by the trigger unit subassembly.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the indication of the velocity
comprises noise generated by contact between the wellbore and the
workstring.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein the noise is sensed by at least
one of an accelerometer, a voice coil, a piezoceramic transducer, a
magnetostrictive sensor, a ferroelectric transducer, and a strain
gauge.
19. The method of claim 16, wherein the indication of velocity is
provided by at least one of a flow velocity transducer coupled to
the trigger unit, a rolling wheel transducer coupled to the trigger
unit., an optical scanner coupled to the trigger unit, a magnetic
field transducer coupled to the trigger unit, a ferroelectric
transducer coupled to the trigger unit, and a gamma ray transducer
coupled to the trigger unit.
20. The method of claim 16, further comprising manipulating the
workstring proximate to the surface to induce the motion of the
workstring in the wellbore to encode the discrete signal.
21. The method of claim 16, further comprising pre-loading the
trigger number into the trigger unit subassembly.
22. The method of claim 16, further comprising: sensing a downhole
parameter; and inhibiting the triggering the function of the
downhole tool based on the downhole parameter, wherein the downhole
parameter is at least one of a downhole temperature, a downhole
pressure, and a time.
23. The method of claim 16, wherein the downhole tool comprises at
least one of a packer, a setting tool, a flow control device, a
data collection device, a sampler, and a perforation gun.
24. The method of claim 16, wherein the conveyance comprises one of
a string of pipe joints, a wireline, a slickline, and coiled
tubing.
25. A method of servicing a wellbore extending from a surface and
penetrating a subterranean formation, comprising: placing a
workstring in the wellbore, wherein the workstring comprises at
least a downhole tool, a signal receiver subassembly, and a
conveyance between the downhole tool and the surface; receiving by
the signal receiver subassembly an acoustic signal generated by
motion of the workstring relative to the wellbore; and initiating a
function of the downhole tool based on the acoustic signal.
26. The method of claim 25, further comprising converting the
acoustic signal to an electrical signal and filtering the
electrical signal to attenuate sub-audio frequency components of
the electrical signal, wherein initiating the function of the
downhole is based on the filtered electrical signal.
27. The method of claim 25, wherein the conveyance comprises at
least one of a string of pipe joints, a wireline, a slickline, and
a coiled tubing.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0001] Not applicable.
REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX
[0002] Not applicable.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Hydrocarbons may be produced from wellbores drilled from the
surface through a variety of producing and non-producing
formations. The wellbore may be drilled substantially vertically or
may be an offset well that is not vertical and has some amount of
horizontal displacement from the surface entry point. In some
cases, a multilateral well may be drilled comprising a plurality of
wellbores drilled off of a main wellbore, each of which may be
referred to as a lateral wellbore. Portions of lateral wellbores
may be substantially horizontal to the surface. In some provinces,
wellbores may be very deep, for example extending more than 10,000
feet from the surface.
[0004] A variety of servicing operations may be performed on a
wellbore after it has been initially drilled. A lateral junction
may be set in the wellbore at the intersection of two lateral
wellbores and/or at the intersection of a lateral wellbore with the
main wellbore. A casing string may be set and cemented in the
wellbore. A liner may be hung in the casing string. The casing
string may be perforated by firing a perforation gun. A packer may
be set and a formation proximate to the wellbore may be
hydraulically fractured. A plug may be set in the wellbore. Those
skilled in the art may readily identify additional wellbore
servicing operations. In many servicing operations, a downhole tool
is conveyed into the wellbore to accomplish the needed wellbore
servicing operation, for example by some triggering event
initiating one or more functions of the downhole tool. Controlling
the downhole tool from the surface presents many challenges, and a
variety of technical solutions have been deployed.
SUMMARY
[0005] In an embodiment, a method of servicing a wellbore extending
from a surface and penetrating a subterranean formation is
disclosed. The method comprises placing a workstring in the
wellbore, wherein the workstring comprises at least a first
downhole tool, a signal receiver subassembly, and a conveyance
between the first downhole tool and the surface. The method further
comprises the signal receiver subassembly receiving a first signal
generated by contact between the wellbore and the workstring and
triggering a first function of the first downhole tool based on the
first signal.
[0006] In another embodiment, a method of servicing a wellbore
extending from a surface and penetrating a subterranean formation
is disclosed. The method comprises, placing a workstring in the
wellbore, wherein the workstring comprises at least one downhole
tool, a trigger unit subassembly, and a conveyance string between
the downhole tool and the surface. The method further comprises
analyzing an indication of a velocity of the workstring in the
wellbore as it changes over time to decode a discrete signal
encoded by the motion of the workstring in the wellbore. A first
discrete value of the discrete signal is associated with an
amplitude of the indication of the velocity of the workstring above
a first threshold and a second discrete value of the discrete
signal is associated with an amplitude of the indication of the
velocity of the workstring less than a second threshold, where the
second threshold is less than the first threshold. The method also
comprises, when the discrete signal matches a trigger number,
triggering a function of the downhole tool by the trigger unit
subassembly.
[0007] In another embodiment, a method of servicing a wellbore
extending from a surface and penetrating a subterranean formation
is disclosed. The method comprises placing a workstring in the
wellbore, wherein the workstring comprises at least a downhole
tool, a signal receiver subassembly, and a conveyance between the
downhole tool and the surface. The method also comprises receiving
by the signal receiver subassembly an acoustic signal generated by
motion of the workstring relative to the wellbore and initiating a
function of the downhole tool based on the acoustic signal.
[0008] These and other features will be more clearly understood
from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with
the accompanying drawings and claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure,
reference is now made to the following brief description, taken in
connection with the accompanying drawings and detailed description,
wherein like reference numerals represent like parts.
[0010] FIG. 1 is an illustration of a workstring according to an
embodiment of the disclosure.
[0011] FIG. 2 is a flow chart of a method according to an
embodiment of the disclosure.
[0012] FIG. 3 is a flow chart of another method according to an
embodiment of the disclosure.
[0013] FIG. 4 is an illustration of a computer system suitable for
implementing the several embodiments of the disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0014] It should be understood at the outset that although
illustrative implementations of one or more embodiments are
illustrated below, the disclosed systems and methods may be
implemented using any number of techniques, whether currently known
or in existence. The disclosure should in no way be limited to the
illustrative implementations, drawings, and techniques illustrated
below, but may be modified within the scope of the appended claims
along with their full scope of equivalents.
[0015] Unless otherwise specified, any use of any form of the terms
"connect," "engage," "couple," "attach," or any other term
describing an interaction between elements is not meant to limit
the interaction to direct interaction between the elements and may
also include indirect interaction between the elements described.
In the following discussion and in the claims, the terms
"including" and "comprising" are used in an open-ended fashion, and
thus should be interpreted to mean "including, but not limited to .
. . ". Reference to up or down will be made for purposes of
description with "up," "upper," "upward," or "upstream" meaning
toward the surface of the wellbore and with "down," "lower,"
"downward," or "downstream" meaning toward the terminal end of the
well, regardless of the wellbore orientation. The term "zone" or
"pay zone" as used herein refers to separate parts of the wellbore
designated for treatment or production and may refer to an entire
hydrocarbon formation or separate portions of a single formation
such as horizontally and/or vertically spaced portions of the same
formation. The various characteristics mentioned above, as well as
other features and characteristics described in more detail below,
will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art with the aid
of this disclosure upon reading the following detailed description
of the embodiments, and by referring to the accompanying
drawings.
[0016] Turning now to FIG. 1, a wellbore servicing system 10 is
described. The system 10 comprises servicing rig 16 that extends
over and around a wellbore 12 that penetrates a subterranean
formation 14 for the purpose of recovering hydrocarbons. The
wellbore 12 may be drilled into the subterranean formation 14 using
any suitable drilling technique. While shown as extending
vertically from the surface in FIG. 1, in some embodiments the
wellbore 12 may be deviated, horizontal, and/or curved over at
least some portions of the wellbore 12. The wellbore 12 may be
cased, open hole, contain tubing, and may generally comprise a hole
in the ground having a variety of shapes and/or geometries as is
known to those of skill in the art.
[0017] The servicing rig 16 may be one of a drilling rig, a
completion rig, a workover rig, or other mast structure and
supports a workstring 18 in the wellbore 12, but in other
embodiments a different structure may support the workstring 18. In
an embodiment, the servicing rig 16 may comprise a derrick with a
rig floor through which the workstring 18 extends downward from the
servicing rig 16 into the wellbore 12. In some embodiments, such as
in an off-shore location, the servicing rig 16 may be supported by
piers extending downwards to a seabed. Alternatively, in some
embodiments, the servicing rig 16 may be supported by columns
sitting on hulls and/or pontoons that are ballasted below the water
surface, which may be referred to as a semi-submersible platform or
rig. In an off-shore location, a casing may extend from the
servicing rig 16 to exclude sea water and contain drilling fluid
returns. It is understood that other mechanical mechanisms, not
shown, may control the run-in and withdrawal of the workstring 18
in the wellbore 12, for example a draw works coupled to a hoisting
apparatus, a slickline unit or a wireline unit including a winching
apparatus, another servicing vehicle, a coiled tubing unit, and/or
other apparatus.
[0018] In an embodiment, the workstring 18 may comprise a
conveyance 30, a first downhole tool 32, and a signal receiver
subassembly 34. The conveyance 30 may be any of a string of jointed
pipes, a slickline, a coiled tubing, and a wireline. In another
embodiment, the workstring 18 may further comprise a second
downhole tool 36, while in yet other embodiments the workstring may
comprise additional downhole tools. In an embodiment, the
workstring 18 further comprises a mechanical vibration source 38.
In some contexts, the workstring 18 may be referred to as a tool
string. The signal receiver subassembly 34, in combination with
other components depicted in FIG. 1, may provide an efficient,
reliable, and user friendly communication downlink from the surface
to the downhole tools 32, 36. It is understood that the downhole
tools 32, 36, the signal receiver subassembly 34, and/or the
mechanical vibration source 38 may be utilized in vertical,
horizontal, curved, inverted, or inclined orientations without
departing from the teachings of the present disclosure. In an
embodiment, the signal receiver subassembly 34 may be incorporated
into and/or integrated with one of the downhole tools 32, 36. For
example, in an embodiment, the signal receiver subassembly 34 and
the first downhole tool 32 may share one or more of a housing, a
power supply, a memory, a processor, and/or other components.
[0019] In some embodiments, the wellbore 12 may be lined with a
casing (not shown) that is secured into position against the
subterranean formation 14 in a conventional manner using cement. In
an embodiment, the downhole tools 32, 36 and/or the workstring 18
may be moving through a tubing that is located within the
casing.
[0020] When the first downhole tool 32 has been run-in to a target
depth in the wellbore 12, to activate and/or trigger performance of
a first function by the first downhole tool 32, a signal is
communicated from the surface to the signal receiver subassembly
34, and the signal receiver subassembly 34 then triggers the first
function of the first downhole tool 32. The present disclosure
teaches communicating the signal from the surface by manipulating
the workstring 30 in the wellbore 12. For example, the signal may
comprise a discrete signal that is encoded as a sequence of
different velocities. In an embodiment, a velocity in excess of a
first defined threshold, either uphole or downhole, may encode a
first discrete value, and a velocity less than the first defined
threshold, either uphole or downhole, may encode a second discrete
value. Alternatively, in another embodiment, a velocity in excess
of the first defined threshold, either uphole or downhole, may
encode the first discrete value, and a velocity less than a second
defined threshold, where the second defined threshold is less than
the first defined threshold, either uphole or downhole, may encode
a second discrete value. In some circumstances, using two different
thresholds may increase the reliability of downhole communication.
In an embodiment, the first discrete value may be a 0.sub.2 and the
second discrete value may be a 1.sub.2. Alternatively, in another
embodiment, the first discrete value may be a 1.sub.2 and the
second discrete value may be a 0.sub.2. In an embodiment, the
thresholds may be adaptive and may change in the downhole
environment in response to mechanical vibration and/or mechanical
noise levels, signal levels, the previous signal path, the rate of
change of the signal amplitude, and other downhole environment
parameters. In another embodiment, the discrete signal may be
encoded as a sequence of different rotational velocities, a
sequence of different axial velocities, or a sequence comprised of
a combination of two or more of different linear velocities,
different rotational velocities, and different axial
velocities.
[0021] In another embodiment, a greater amount of information may
be encoded in the motion of the workstring 18. For example, a third
discrete value may be encoded by a velocity amplitude less than a
third defined threshold, a fourth discrete value may be encoded by
a velocity amplitude greater than a fourth defined threshold and
less than a fifth defined threshold, a fifth discrete value may be
encoded by a velocity amplitude greater than a sixth defined
threshold and less than a seventh defined threshold, and a sixth
discrete value may be encoded by a velocity amplitude greater than
an eighth defined threshold, where the velocity amplitude
disregards the sense of direction of the velocity. In an
embodiment, the third discrete value may be 00.sub.2, the fourth
discrete value may be 01.sub.2, the fifth discrete value may be
10.sub.2, and the sixth discrete value may be 11.sub.2. Those
skilled in the art will appreciate that other similar encodings are
possible, all of which are contemplated by the present disclosure.
By manipulating the workstring 18 at the surface in a sequence of
up and down motions or in a sequence of rotational movements, a
multiple digit discrete number may be communicated to the signal
receiver subassembly 34.
[0022] While the discussion above was directed to digital
communication employing a binary base or a base 2 encoding scheme,
in an embodiment, a different base of numerical representation may
be employed, for example the signals may be encoded in base 3. A
0.sub.3 value could be encoded by no movement, a 1.sub.3 value
could be encoded by a downhole movement, and a 2.sub.3 value could
be encoded by an uphole movement. Appropriate bounding thresholds
may likewise be defined for such a base 3 representation system to
provide excluded values to decrease the probability of erroneous
signal transmissions. One skilled in the art will readily
appreciate that other numerical bases may be employed to encode the
communication signals, all of which are contemplated by the present
disclosure.
[0023] It has been observed that relying on accelerating the
workstring 18 uphole-downhole and/or encoding the communication to
the signal receiver subassembly 34 in a sequence of accelerations
of the workstring 18 uphole-downhole may become unreliable when the
workstring 18 is of great length, as for example in a deep well or
in a lateral wellbore that accesses a production zone displaced a
considerable distance away from the main wellbore. This may result
from the large mechanical spring and damper properties associated
with the workstring 18 when it becomes long. The settling time of
the workstring 18 is longer for a longer workstring 18. For
example, manipulation of the workstring 18 at the surface to impart
a controlled acceleration to the workstring 18 uphole-downhole may
result in a different acceleration at the signal receiver subsystem
34, as the acceleration is altered by mechanical spring and damper
effects. Additionally, relying upon uphole-downhole accelerations,
which in some contexts may be referred to as gross accelerations to
distinguish from the minor displacements of accelerations
associated with mechanical vibrations, to communicate to the signal
receiver subassembly 34 may be sensitive to precise axial alignment
of an accelerometer with the workstring 18. Due to the high costs
involved in servicing wellbores and/or delays of putting a well on
production, reliability is an important consideration in designing
a downhole communication apparatus.
[0024] In an embodiment, the signal receiver subassembly 34 may
comprise one or more velocity sensors. The velocity sensors may be
one or more of a flow velocity transducer, fluid flow transducer, a
rolling wheel transducer, an optical scanner, a magnetic field
transducer, a ferroelectric transducer, a gamma ray transducer, and
other transducers effective for producing an indication of a
velocity of the signal receiver subassembly 34 and/or other
components of the workstring 18. In an embodiment, the velocity
sensors may additionally comprise one or more of a gravitational
sensor, a magnetic field sensor, or a pressure sensor.
Alternatively, rather than the signal receiver subassembly 34
comprising the velocity sensor, the velocity sensor may be a
separate subassembly in the workstring 18 that is communicatively
coupled to the signal receiver subassembly 34.
[0025] In an embodiment, the velocity sensor and/or sensors detect
a velocity of the workstring 18 proximate to the first downhole
tool 32 and communicate this value to the signal receiver
subassembly 34. In some embodiments, the velocity sensor may
communicate a value that is an analog of the velocity of the
workstring 18, which may be referred to as an indication of
velocity, to the signal receiver subassembly 34, and the signal
receiver subassembly 34 may process this value to determine and/or
calculate the velocity of the workstring 18 based on the value. In
other embodiments, the velocity sensor may communicate a value that
is an analog of the displacement and/or position of the workstring
18 in the wellbore 12 to the signal receiver subassembly 34, and
the signal receiver subassembly 34 may process this value and/or a
sequence of these values to determine and/or calculate the velocity
of the workstring 18 based on the value and/or values. In an
embodiment, the indications of motion provided by one or more of a
gravitational sensor, magnetic field sensor, and a pressure sensor
may also be processed and used in combination with other
indications to calculate the velocity of the workstring 18. In an
embodiment, the velocity of the workstring 18 may not be calculated
or determined, and the indication of velocity may be used to decode
the signal transmitted from the surface.
[0026] In an-embodiment, the signal receiver subassembly 34
processes the velocity of the workstring 18 to decode the signal
communicated from the surface. Decoding the signal communicated
from the surface may involve one or more of a variety of signal
processing and/or signal conditioning operations comprising, but
not limited to, sensing and/or transducing a physical quality or
phenomenon into an electrical signal, analog to digital conversion
of the signal, optionally frequency filtering the electrical
signal, determining a discrete number in the electrical signal, and
comparing the discrete number to one or more stored numbers, which
in some contexts may be referred to as trigger numbers, to
determine that activation of a selected function of one or more of
the downhole tools has been commanded. In an embodiment, the
mechanical signal experienced by the workstring 18 and/or the
signal receiver subassembly 34 may be mechanically filtered by
mechanical mechanisms coupled to the workstring 18. Mechanical
filtering may be performed by spring and/or damper materials
coupled to and/or enclosing the workstring 18 and/or the signal
receive subassembly 34.
[0027] Velocity is distinguished from acceleration in a variety of
ways. Mathematically, acceleration is the first derivative of
velocity. A constant velocity, uphole or downhole or rotationally,
corresponds to a zero acceleration value. Practically speaking, in
some circumstances it is easier to impart and maintain a
controlled, reliable velocity to the workstring 18 proximate to the
first downhole tool 32 than to impart and maintain a controlled,
reliable acceleration to the workstring 18 proximate to the first
downhole tool 32, for example when the workstring 18 is long and
large spring and damper effects are involved at the point in the
workstring 18 proximate to the first downhole tool 32, for example
where an acceleration sensor may be located. It may be easier to
establish and maintain a standard velocity for an interval of
time--for example for five seconds--than to maintain a standard
acceleration for the same interval of time.
[0028] In another embodiment, the signal receiver subassembly 34
may infer the velocity of the workstring 18 proximate to the first
downhole tool 32 based on a sensed amplitude of a mechanical
vibration incident upon the workstring 18 proximate to the first
downhole tool 32. In some contexts, the mechanical vibration may be
referred to as a mechanical noise. In some contexts, the mechanical
vibration may be referred to as road noise, by analogy with the
general rumble heard in the interior of a wheeled vehicle traveling
over the road. In some contexts, the mechanical vibration may be
referred to as an acoustic signal. Acoustic signals and/or acoustic
energy may be characterized as propagating substantially as a
longitudinal wave. The motion of the workstring 18 proximate to the
first downhole tool 32 in the wellbore 12 may produce mechanical
vibrations and/or mechanical noise, for example as the outer
surface of the workstring 18 contacts and rubs against the wellbore
12. The mechanical vibrations produced by motion of the workstring
18 in the wellbore 12 may be substantially similar whether the
workstring 18 is moving uphole, downhole, clockwise, or
counter-clockwise. In an embodiment, an asymmetrical motion profile
may be induced in the workstring 18 to produce vibrations that have
a different amplitude and/or frequency based on the direction of
travel of the workstring 18.
[0029] In an embodiment, the discrete signal described above may be
generated by contact between the wellbore 12 and the workstring 18,
wherein the contact that generates the discrete signal is created
predominantly by axial motion of the workstring 18 in the wellbore
12 (e.g., motion substantially parallel to the axis of the
workstring 18). In another embodiment, the discrete signal
described above may be generated by contact between the wellbore 12
and the workstring 18, wherein the contact that generates the
discrete signal is created predominantly by rotational motion of
the workstring 18 in the wellbore 12. The alignment of the motion
of the workstring 18 may or may not correlate with the alignment of
the mechanical vibration energy and/or mechanical noise and/or road
noise detected by the signal receiver subassembly 34.
[0030] In some circumstances, manipulating the workstring 18
proximate to the surface to induce the mechanical vibration and/or
mechanical noise may be a more robust and reliable communication
signal than the acceleration of the workstring 18. For example, in
a deep wellbore, the acceleration of the workstring 18 at the
surface may be substantially altered by the large spring and damper
effects associated with the great length of the workstring 18. For
example, an acceleration impulse at the surface may be reduced in
amplitude and spread in time at a point in the workstring 18
proximate to the first downhole tool 32.
[0031] In an embodiment, the digital signal communicated from the
surface may be framed by time intervals. For example, the digital
signal may be composed of an ordered sequence of digital symbols,
where each digital symbol is communicated within a specific time
interval. For, example, but not by way of limitation, the digital
signal may be communicated in a series of 20 second time intervals
where the digital signal is determined during a central portion of
the subject time interval or during an end portion of the subject
time interval. By ignoring the value during an initial portion of
the subject time interval, the workstring 18 may have an
opportunity to reach a constant velocity before the digital symbol
is received by the signal receiver subassembly 34, thereby allowing
spring and damper effects- to settle out and allowing gross
acceleration to approach zero. In an embodiment, a 20 second symbol
period may be employed, and the digital symbol may be received
during the time interval from 8 seconds after the start of the
symbol period to 12 seconds after the start of the symbol period.
In another embodiment, the 20 second symbol period may be employed,
and the digital symbol may be received during the timer interval
from 14 seconds after the start of the symbol period to 18 seconds
after the start of the symbol period. In other embodiments, a
different length of symbol period may be employed and the digital
symbol may be sampled and/or received at a different point within
the symbol period. In an embodiment, a frame synchronization signal
may be communicated from the surface before sending the digital
signals to the signal receiver subassembly 34, for example a known
sequence of 1's and 0's to permit the signal receiver subassembly
34 to adjust its sense of time intervals with that of the
surface.
[0032] In an embodiment, the signal receiver subassembly 34 may
comprise one or more mechanical vibration sensors. The mechanical
vibration sensors may be one or more of an accelerometer, a voice
coil, a piezoceramic transducer, a magnetostrictive sensor, a
ferroelectric transducer, and a strain gauge. Alternatively, rather
than the signal receiver subassembly 34 comprising the mechanical
vibration sensor, the mechanical vibration sensor may be a separate
subassembly in the workstring 18 that is communicatively coupled to
the signal receiver subassembly 34. The mechanical vibration sensor
and/or sensors detect the amplitude of the mechanical vibration of
the workstring 18 proximate to the downhole tool 32 and
communicates this value to the signal receiver subassembly 34, and
the signal receiver subassembly 34 processes the value to decode
the signal communicated from the surface.
[0033] In an embodiment, the mechanical vibration sensor may be an
accelerometer and may be oriented substantially radially and/or
perpendicularly with reference to the axis of the workstring 18. It
is thought that the mechanical vibration associated with movement
of the workstring 18 in the wellbore 12 is substantially radially
oriented and substantially orthogonal to the axis of the workstring
18. At the same time, it is also thought that the energy of the
mechanical vibration associated with movement of the workstring 18
in the wellbore 12 is distributed, at least in part, in all
orientations, thereby making the function of the accelerometer for
sensing this mechanical vibration relatively insensitive to precise
orientation of the accelerometer.
[0034] In an embodiment, the mechanical vibration source 38 may be
incorporated into the workstring 18. The mechanical vibration
source 38 then moves with the workstring 18 and produces mechanical
vibration and/or mechanical noise in response to motion of the
mechanical vibration source 38 in the wellbore 12. The mechanical
vibration source 38 may provide either a more consistent mechanical
vibration or a mechanical vibration having particular properties,
for example a mechanical vibration having particular frequency
properties or having a particular alignment and/or orientation. In
an embodiment, the signal receiver subassembly 34 may be designed
and/or programmed to identify the particular frequency that the
mechanical vibration source 38 is designed to enhance, for example,
the signal receiver subassembly 34 may perform frequency selective
filtering to exclude and/or attenuate frequencies outside the main
frequency bandwidth of the mechanical vibration frequency generated
by the mechanical vibration source 38 and to pass the frequencies
in the main frequency bandwidth of the mechanical vibration
generated by the mechanical vibration source 38. This may
contribute to fewer spurious signals being interpreted by the
signal receiver subassembly 34 as valid communication symbols from
the surface. The mechanical vibration source 38 may comprise at
least one of an extended probe, a wheel that actuates a mechanical
noise maker, a rattle, a revolving member, a propeller, a
workstring centralizer, a workstring decentralizes, and other like
mechanical contrivances for promoting mechanical vibrations and/or
mechanical noise and/or an acoustic signal.
[0035] In an embodiment, the signal receiver subassembly 34 may
process the sensed mechanical vibration through a high pass filter
to attenuate the low frequency components of the mechanical
vibration. In an embodiment, the high pass filter may be
implemented as an analog filter comprised of inductive, resistive,
and capacitive elements. Alternatively, in another embodiment, the
high pass filter may be implemented as a digital filter. The signal
receiver subassembly 34 or another component of the workstring 18
may convert the mechanical vibration or acoustic signal to an
electrical signal and process the electrical signal through the
high pass filter to produce a filtered electrical signal.
Alternatively, in an embodiment, the electrical signal may be
converted to a digital signal and the digital signal may be
processed by a high pass digital filter to produce a filtered
digital signal. In an embodiment, the high pass filter may have a
cut-off frequency of about 10 Hertz (Hz). The cut-off frequency of
the high pass filter may be the point where low frequency
components of the sensed mechanical vibration are attenuated by at
least 3 decibels (dB). In another embodiment, however, the high
pass filter may have a cut-off frequency of about 50 Hz. In another
embodiment, the high pass filter may have a cut-off frequency of
about 200 Hz. In another embodiment, the high pass filter may have
a cut-off frequency of about 500 Hz. In an embodiment, the high
pass filter is configured to pass audio frequencies and to
attenuate and/or reject sub-audio frequencies. The audio frequency
band is associated with the frequency band from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz
by some. Others associate the audio frequency band with a narrower
frequency band, for example from about 50 Hz to 16,000 Hz. Yet
others may associate the audio frequency band with a yet narrower
frequency band, for example from about 100 Hz to about 12,000
Hz.
[0036] In some initial testing, it appears that a significant
amount of the energy of the sensed mechanical vibration associated
with motion of the workstring 18 in the wellbore 12 is concentrated
in the audio frequency range. More particularly, a significant
amount of the energy of the sensed mechanical vibration associated
with the motion of the workstring 18 in the wellbore 12 is located
above about 500 Hz. It has been found that the energy of the sensed
mechanical vibration that can be ascribed to a variety of events
unrelated to motion of the workstring 18 uphole and downhole in the
wellbore 12, which may be referred to as spurious events, is
concentrated in the sub-audio frequency range, for example below 10
Hz. Additionally, the energy of the sensed mechanical vibration
that can be ascribed to gross acceleration of the workstring 18 is
also concentrated in the sub-audio frequency range. The present
disclosure teaches setting the cut-off frequency of the high pass
filter at a frequency that is effective to attenuate and/or reject
the sensed mechanical vibration associated with spurious events and
gross accelerations while passing the sensed mechanical vibration
associated with motion of the workstring 18 uphole and downhole in
the wellbore 12. An example of a spurious event is a momentary
collision of a collar or a joint between subassemblies in the
workstring 18 with a protrusion in the wellbore 12. In an
embodiment, the signal receiver subassembly 34 may be said to
detect a frequency generated by contact of the workstring 18 and/or
the first downhole tool 32 with the wellbore 12 to determine a
trigger for the first downhole tool 32.
[0037] In an embodiment, the signal receiver subassembly 34 high
pass filters the sensed mechanical vibration, which may be referred
to as a source signal, to produce a first derived signal. In an
embodiment, the signal receiver subassembly 34 may produce the
first derived signal by bandpass filtering the mechanical vibration
to attenuate frequencies below a first cutoff frequency and to
attenuate frequencies above a second cutoff frequency, where the
second cutoff frequency is higher than the first cutoff frequency,
for example when the mechanical vibration source 38 enhances the
energy of mechanical vibration within the pass band of the bandpass
filter. The signal receiver subassembly 34 may rectify and/or
calculate the absolute value of the first derived signal to produce
a second derived signal. The second derived signal may be
considered to be an energy signal. The signal receiver subassembly
34 may average and/or low pass filter the second derived signal to
produce a third derived signal. The signal receiver subassembly 34
may threshold detect the third derived signal to produce a fourth
derived signal. The signal receiver subassembly 34 may process the
fourth derived signal to generate the binary ones and zeroes of the
transmitted binary number or values of the transmitted signals in
some other discrete number system. In an alternative embodiment,
some of the processing described above may be omitted. In yet
another embodiment, some of the processing described above as
occurring separately and/or sequentially may be combined and/or may
be performed in a different sequence from that described above.
[0038] The signal receiver subassembly 34 processes either the
sensed velocity or the sensed mechanical vibration of the
workstring 18 proximate to the first downhole tool 32 to receive
the signal transmitted from the surface, for example a multi-digit
discrete number. For example, a velocity value greater than a
threshold value may be decoded as a first binary value while a
velocity value less than the threshold value may be decoded as a
second binary value. Alternatively, a mechanical vibration value
greater than a threshold value may be decoded as a first binary
value and a mechanical vibration value less than the threshold
value may be decoded as a second binary value. Note that while the
mechanical vibration may be used to infer a velocity of the
workstring 18 proximate to the first downhole tool 32, in at least
some embodiments the signal receiver subassembly 34 need not
convert the sensed mechanical vibration to an equivalent velocity
to decode the binary signal transmitted from the surface, and the
signal receiver subassembly 34 may decode the binary signal
directly based on the sensed mechanical vibration. Without
limitation of the present disclosure, providing a communication
down link from the surface to the downhole tools 32, 36 and/or the
signal receiver subassembly 34 based on mechanical vibration is
expected to have particular advantages in inclined and/or
horizontal wellbores 12, where there is a natural tendency of the
workstring 18 to contact and rub against the wellbore 12 on the
side attracted by the earth's gravitational field, thereby
establishing a distinct and ample mechanical vibration.
[0039] The signal receiver subassembly 34 compares the received
discrete number to a trigger number, for example a binary number
that was programmed or configured into the signal receiver
subassembly 34 before deploying downhole in the workstring 18. When
the signal receiver subassembly 34 determines that the received
discrete number matches the trigger number, the signal receiver
subassembly 34 communicates a triggering signal, a triggering
command, and/or an actuation signal to the first downhole tool 32.
The first downhole tool 32 then activates and performs the subject
function in response to receiving the triggering signal from the
signal receiver subassembly 34. In some contexts, the signal
receiving subassembly 34 may be referred to as a trigger unit or a
trigger subassembly.
[0040] In an embodiment, the signal receiver subassembly 34 may be
configured with a plurality of different trigger numbers. In this
case, the signal receiver subassembly 34 may selectively activate
different functions of the first downhole tool 32 and/or functions
performed by different downhole tools. For example, in an
embodiment, a first trigger number may be associated with a first
function of the first downhole tool 32 and a second trigger number
may be associated with a second function of the first downhole tool
32. In another embodiment, a third trigger number may be associated
with a third function of the first downhole tool 32 and a fourth
trigger number may be associated with a fourth function of the
second downhole tool 36.
[0041] The trigger number may have any number of discrete digits.
Increasing the number of discrete digits in the trigger number has
the effect of increasing the reliability and robustness of the
communication downhole but has the drawback of increasing the
complexity of manipulating the workstring 18 at the surface to
transmit the signal downhole. In combination with the present
disclosure, one skilled in the art will readily determine an
effective number of discrete digits from which to compose the
trigger number, based in part on experience and the special
operating conditions of the subject well bore servicing system 10.
In an embodiment, the trigger number may be configured into the
signal receiver subassembly 34 by a wired and/or a wireless link to
a computer or mobile handset at the location of the system 10, at a
depot shop, or at a laboratory. In an embodiment, the configuration
of the trigger number(s) into the signal receiver subassembly 34
may include an optional or a-mandatory step of erasing the memory
location for storing trigger numbers, to avoid any possibility of
leaving obsolete trigger numbers active in the signal receiver
subassembly 34.
[0042] The downhole tools 32, 36 may be one of a packer, a bridge
plug, a perforation gun, a flow control device, a sampler, a
setting tool, a sensing instrument, a data collection device and/or
instrument, and other downhole tools. The functions of the downhole
tools 32, 36 that the signal receiver subassembly 34 may activate
may comprise any of initiating detonation of a perforation gun,
deploying a setting tool, starting collection of data, stopping
collection of data, starting transmission of data, stopping
transmission of data, and others. The downhole tools 32, 36 may
promote a variety of wellbore services including, but not by way of
limitation, cementing, hydraulic fracturing, acidizing, gravel
packing, setting tools, setting lateral junctions, perforating
casing and/or formations, collecting data, transmitting data,
drilling, and other services.
[0043] In an embodiment, the signal receiver subassembly 34 may
receive an indication of an environmental parameter, for example
temperature and/or pressure, for example from one or more
environment sensors incorporated into the workstring 18. The signal
receiver subassembly 34 may enable and/or disable outputting the
triggering signal to the downhole tools 32, 36 based on the value
of the environmental parameters. For example, the signal receiver
subassembly 34 may disable outputting the triggering signal to the
downhole tools 32, 36 when the sensed temperature exceeds 700
degrees Fahrenheit, for example during a fire. As another example,
the signal receiver subassembly 34 may disable outputting the
triggering signal when the sensed pressure is less than 10
atmospheres, for example to avoid outputting an erroneous
triggering signal while the downhole tools 32, 36 are not deployed
sufficiently far into the wellbore 12.
[0044] In an embodiment, the downhole tools 32, 36 may be triggered
and/or activated by a shared signal receiver subassembly 34.
Alternatively, in an embodiment, the workstring 18 may comprise a
plurality of signal receiver subassemblies 34, for example one
signal receiver subassembly per downhole tool and/or one signal
receiver subassembly per distinct function to be triggered. In an
embodiment, the signal receiver subassemblies 34 may communicate
with the downhole tool 32, 36 by a variety of communication means
including, but not limited to, wireless communication, wired
communication, acoustic telemetry, pressure pulse communication,
and other. In an embodiment, the signal receiver subassembly 34
comprises a computer in a sealed inner chamber. Computers are
discussed in more detail hereinafter.
[0045] Turning now to FIG. 2, a method 100 is described. At block
102, the workstring 18 is placed in the wellbore 12. The workstring
18 comprises at least the first downhole tool 32, the signal
receiver subassembly 34, and the conveyance 30. In an embodiment,
placing the workstring 18 in the wellbore 12 may include the steps
of assembling and/or making up the workstring 18 from the several
components, for example coupling the first downhole tool 32, the
signal receiver subassembly 34, and the conveyance 30 together. In
an embodiment, the conveyance 30 may comprise a number of joints of
pipe, and placing the workstring 18 in the wellbore 12 may further
comprise threadingly coupling the joints of pipe together to make
up the conveyance 30. As described above, however, the conveyance
30 may alternatively comprise slickline, wireline, or coiled
tubing. In an embodiment, placing the workstring 18 in the wellbore
12 may include configuring one or more trigger numbers into the
signal receiving subassembly 34. Placing the workstring 18 in the
wellbore 12 may comprise running-in the first downhole tool 32 to a
target depth for performing a wellbore servicing operation using
the first downhole tool 32.
[0046] At block 104, a first signal is transmitted by manipulating
the workstring 18 in the wellbore 12 proximate to the surface. For
example, a draw works coupled to a hoisting apparatus supported by
the servicing rig 16 may move the workstring 18 uphole during a
first time interval to transmit a first discrete value, for example
a 1.sub.2 discrete value. The draw works may hold the workstring 18
substantially steady during a second time interval to transmit a
second discrete value, for example a 0.sub.2 discrete value. Note
that to encode two successive discrete values having the same
value, the draw works may move the workstring 18 uphole
substantially continuously or hold the workstring 18 steady during
two discrete symbol intervals. In an embodiment, moving the
workstring 18 uphole or downhole may encode the same discrete
value. Alternatively, in an embodiment, other associations of
motion and/or mechanical vibration to discrete values may be
employed. For example, to encode two successive discrete values
having the same value, the draw works may move the workstring 18
uphole for a period of time, pause to denote the end of the first
bit, and then move the workstring 18 uphole for a second period of
time.
[0047] In an embodiment, a different base of numerical
representation may be employed, for example the signals may be
encoded in base 3. A 0.sub.3 value could be encoded by no movement,
a 1.sub.3 value could be encoded by a downhole movement, and a
2.sub.3 value could be encoded by an uphole movement. One skilled
in the art will readily appreciate that, likewise, other numerical
bases may be employed to encode the communication signals, all of
which are contemplated by the present disclosure.
[0048] In some embodiments, moving the workstring 18 in the
wellbore 12 to transmit the first discrete value means moving the
workstring 18 with at least a threshold velocity uphole or
downhole, and holding the workstring 18 steady in the wellbore 12
to transmit the second discrete value means keeping the uphole and
downhole velocity of the workstring 18 less than a threshold
velocity. The first signal is transmitted by manipulating the
workstring 18 in the wellbore 12 to send a sequence of discrete
values. It is understood that, in an embodiment, transmitting the
first signal is understood to comprise generating mechanical
vibration proximate the first downhole tool 32 at least in part by
moving contact between portions of the workstring 18 and the
wellbore 12. In another embodiment, transmitting the first signal
is understood to comprise generating an acoustic signal by motion
of the workstring 18 relative to the wellbore 12. In an embodiment,
before transmitting the first signal, the workstring 18 may be
manipulated in the wellbore 12 proximate to the surface to sending
a framing signal, for example a regular pattern of 1's and 0's, to
promote the signal receiving subassembly 34 synchronizing to the
discrete symbol frame time being observed at the surface.
[0049] At block 106, the first signal is received by the signal
receiver subassembly 34. In an embodiment, the first signal may be
received by the signal receiver subassembly 34 as at least one of
an indication of velocity of the workstring 18 proximate to the
first downhole tool 32 and an indication of the mechanical
vibration incident upon the first downhole tool 32. In some
contexts it may be said that the first signal is generated by
contact between the workstring 18 and the wellbore 12. In another
embodiment, however, contact between the workstring 18 and the
wellbore 12 is not required to generate an acoustic signal that may
be relied upon to decode the signal transmitted from the
surface.
[0050] At bleck 108, a first function of the first downhole tool 32
is triggered based on the first signal. For example, the signal
receiver subassembly 34 receives the first signal, decodes the
discrete number contained in the first signal, compares the
discrete number to the trigger value configured into the signal
receiver subassembly 34, determines a match between the discrete
number and the trigger value, and communicates the triggering
signal to the first downhole tool 32 to actuate a first function of
the first downhole tool 32, for example to initiate detonation of a
perforation gun.
[0051] In blocks 110, 112, and 114, optionally, a second signal is
transmitted, the second signal is received, and a second function
of the first downhole tool 32 is actuated similarly to blocks 104,
106, and 108 above. In an embodiment, the signal receiver
subassembly 34 may be configured with a plurality of trigger
numbers linked to specific functions and/or specific downhole tools
32, 36. When the second signal is decoded and determined to contain
a second trigger value associated with a second function of the
first downhole tool 32, the signal receiver subassembly 34
communicates the triggering signal to the first downhole tool 32 to
actuate the second function of the first downhole tool 32.
[0052] In blocks 116, 118, and 120, optionally, a third function of
the second downhole tool 36 is actuated by communication from the
signal receiver subassembly 34 similarly to blocks 110, 112, and
114. After a desired number of functions of one or more downhole
tools have been triggered in a manner similar to that described
above, the method 100 then exits.
[0053] Turning now to FIG. 3, a method 150 is described. At block
152, a trigger number is pre-loaded and/or configured into a
trigger unit subassembly, for example into the signal receiver
subassembly 34. This step may include configuring a plurality of
trigger numbers, each associated with a specific function and/or a
specific downhole tool 32, 36. At block 154, the workstring 18 is
placed in the wellbore 12, substantially similarly to block 102
described above with reference to FIG. 2. At block 156, the
workstring 18 is manipulated proximate to the surface to induce
motion in the workstring 18 in the wellbore to encode a discrete
signal and/or a discrete number.
[0054] At block 158, a velocity of the workstring 18 proximate to
the first downhole tool 32 is determined. For example, the trigger
unit subassembly receives indications of the velocity of the
workstring 18 from velocity sensors, processes the indications, and
determines a velocity of the workstring 18. At block 160, the
trigger unit subassembly analyzes the velocity of the workstring 18
as it changes over time to decode the discrete signal encoded in
the motion imparted to the workstring 18 by manipulation at the
surface. In an embodiment, the processing of block 158 and block
160 may be combined. Alternatively, the processing of block 158 and
block 160 may loop and/or iterate during receiving of the discrete
signal.
[0055] At block 162, a function of the downhole tool 32 is
triggered by the triggering unit subassembly based on the discrete
signal, for example based on the discrete number encoded in the
discrete signal matching the trigger number configured in the
triggering unit subassembly. The processing of blocks 156, 158,
160, and 162, optionally, may be repeated a desired number of times
to trigger functions of other downhole tools. The method 150 then
exits.
[0056] FIG. 4 illustrates a computer system 380 suitable for
implementing one or more embodiments disclosed herein. The computer
system 380 includes a processor 382 (which may be referred to as a
central processor unit or CPU) that is in communication with memory
devices including secondary storage 384, read only memory (ROM)
386, random access memory (RAM) 388, input/output (I/O) devices
390, and network connectivity devices 392. The processor 382 may be
implemented as one or more CPU chips.
[0057] It is understood that by programming and/or loading
executable instructions onto the computer system 380, at least one
of the CPU 382, the RAM 388, and the ROM 386 are changed,
transforming the computer system 380 in part into a particular
machine or apparatus having the novel functionality taught by the
present disclosure. It is fundamental to the electrical engineering
and software engineering arts that functionality that can be
implemented by loading executable software into a computer can be
converted to a hardware implementation by well known design rules.
Decisions between implementing a concept in software versus
hardware typically hinge on considerations of stability of the
design and numbers of units to be produced rather than any issues
involved in translating from the software domain to the hardware
domain. Generally, a design that is still subject to frequent
change may be preferred to be implemented in software, because
re-spinning a hardware implementation is more expensive than
re-spinning a software design. Generally, a design that is stable
that will be produced in large volume may be preferred to be
implemented in hardware, for example in an application specific
integrated circuit (ASIC), because for large production runs the
hardware implementation may be less expensive than the software
implementation. Often a design may be developed and tested in a
software form and later transformed, by well known design rules, to
an equivalent hardware implementation in an application specific
integrated circuit that hardwires the instructions of the software.
In the same manner as a machine controlled by a new ASIC is a
particular -machine or apparatus, likewise a computer that has been
programmed and/or loaded with executable instructions may be viewed
as a particular machine or apparatus.
[0058] The secondary storage 384 is typically comprised of one or
more disk drives or tape drives and is used for non-volatile
storage of data and as an over-flow data storage device if RAM 388
is not large enough to hold all working data. Secondary storage 384
may be used to store programs which are loaded into RAM 388 when
such programs are selected for execution. The ROM 386 is used to
store instructions and perhaps data which are read during program
execution. ROM 386 is a non-volatile memory device which typically
has a small memory capacity relative to the larger memory capacity
of secondary storage 384. The RAM 388 is used to store volatile
data and perhaps to store instructions. Access to both ROM 386 and
RAM 388 is typically faster than to secondary storage 384.
[0059] I/O devices 390 may include printers, video monitors, liquid
crystal displays (LCDs), touch screen displays, keyboards, keypads,
switches, dials, mice, track balls, voice recognizers, card
readers, paper tape readers, or other well-known input devices.
[0060] The network connectivity devices 392 may take the form of
moderns, modem banks, Ethernet cards, universal serial bus (USB)
interface cards, serial interfaces, token ring cards, fiber
distributed data interface (FDDI) cards, wireless local area
network (WLAN) cards, radio transceiver cards such as code division
multiple access (CDMA), global system for mobile communications
(GSM), long-term evolution (LTE), and/or worldwide interoperability
for microwave access (WiMAX) radio transceiver cards, and other
well-known network devices. These network connectivity devices 392
may enable the processor 382 to communicate with an Internet or one
or more intranets. With such a network connection, it is
contemplated that the processor 382 might receive information from
the network, or might output information to the network in the
course of performing the above-described method steps. Such
information, which is often represented as a sequence of
instructions to be executed using processor 382, may be received
from and outputted to the network, for example, in the form of a
computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave.
[0061] Such information, which may include data or instructions to
be executed using processor 382 for example, may be received from
and outputted to the network, for example, in the form of a
computer data baseband signal or signal embodied in a carrier wave.
The baseband signal or signal embodied in the carrier wave
generated by the network connectivity devices 392 may propagate in
or on the surface of electrical conductors, in coaxial cables, in
waveguides, in optical media, for example optical fiber, or in the
air or free space. The information contained in the baseband signal
or signal embedded in the carrier wave may be ordered according to
different sequences, as may be desirable for either processing or
generating the information or transmitting or receiving the
information. The baseband signal or signal embedded in the carrier
wave, or other types of signals currently used or hereafter
developed, referred to herein as the transmission medium, may be
generated according to several methods well known to one skilled in
the art.
[0062] The processor 382 executes instructions, codes, computer
programs, scripts which it accesses from hard disk, floppy disk,
optical disk (these various disk based systems may all be
considered secondary storage 384), ROM 386, RAM 388, or the network
connectivity devices 392. While only one processor 382 is shown,
multiple processors may be present. Thus, while instructions may be
discussed as executed by a processor, the instructions may be
executed simultaneously, serially, or otherwise executed by one or
multiple processors.
[0063] While several embodiments have been provided in the present
disclosure, it should be understood that the disclosed systems and
methods may be embodied in many other specific forms without
departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. The
present examples are to be considered as illustrative and not
restrictive, and the intention is not to be limited to the details
given herein. For example, the various elements or components may
be combined or integrated in another system or certain features may
be omitted or not implemented.
[0064] Also, techniques, systems, subsystems, and methods described
and illustrated in the various embodiments as discrete or separate
may be combined or integrated with other systems, modules,
techniques, or methods without departing from the scope of the
present disclosure. Other items shown or discussed as directly
coupled or communicating with each other may be indirectly coupled
or communicating through some interface, device, or intermediate
component, whether electrically, mechanically, or otherwise. Other
examples of changes, substitutions, and alterations are
ascertainable by one skilled in the art and could be made without
departing from the spirit and scope disclosed herein.
* * * * *